Following is information about Camden's ordinances pertaining to dogs. If you have any questions about where and how dogs are allowed on public property, please contact staff at the Camden Town Office or Parks and Recreation Department during business hours, Monday-Friday.
DOGS AND OTHER PETS: This policy applies to everyone, including employees, but does not apply to service dogs.
In general:
- Dogs are not allowed in cemeteries.
- Dogs are allowed on public beaches between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. from May 1 through Sept. 30; and anytime between Oct. 1 and April 30.
- Dogs must be leashed or otherwise restrained.
- Please pick up and properly dispose of all pet waste.
At the Snow Bowl:
- Dec. 1-April 1: NO pets allowed at any time on any alpine or Nordic ski terrain, including inside the lodge, on the lodge decks and the immediate area around the lodge. This includes when the Snow Bowl is not operating. Please do not cross the alpine trails to access Hosmer Brook Trail.
- During prohibited dates, dogs and other pets on leash are allowed in the parking lot, in Tobogganville, the playing fields, and on Kuller Multi-Use and Hosmer Brook trails.
15-1 Enactment.
Pursuant to Title 30-A, Maine Revised Statutes, Section 3001, an ordinance for restraint of dogs in public places is enacted.
15-2 Leashing or restraint on public or private property.
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to permit or cause a dog to be present on any public way or public place unless that dog is under restraint and under control of that person within the meaning of this article. For the purposes of this article, a dog shall be considered under restraint and under control of a person if that dog is attached to a leash that is held by a person or if a dog is at "heel" beside a person, and obedient to that person's commands, or if a dog is located on or within a vehicle being driven or parked on streets or public ways, or if a dog is located within the property limits of the owner or keeper of that dog.
B. Nothing contained in this article shall be held to require the leashing or restraint of any dog while that dog is located on the property of its owner or keeper.
C. It shall also be unlawful for any dog to be located or present on property owned by a person other than the owner or keeper of that dog unless that dog is present on that property with the permission of the owner of that property.
D. For purposes of this article, a dog shall be deemed controlled by a leash so that the dog is under restraint within the meaning of this article only if the leash attached to that dog is not more than eight feet long.
E. Notwithstanding the provisions of this article, it shall be unlawful for any person to cause or permit a dog to be present or located on any public beach within the Town of Camden: (1.) Barrett's Cove, (2.) Laite Beach, (3.) Shirttail Point.
F. This article prohibits any person from causing or permitting a dog to be located on a public beach even if that dog is under restraint by leash or otherwise within the meaning of this article.
15-3 Dogs prohibited in cemeteries.
Dogs are not allowed in cemeteries in Camden.
15-4 Removal of waste.
It shall be deemed the responsibility of the dog's owner or keeper to pick up their dog waste whenever they are walking on sidewalks, streets, public property and on any property other than the owner's/keeper's property, whether it is public or private property.[1]
[1] Editor's Note: See also § 144-3H of Ch. 144, Littering and dumping.
15-5 Violations and penalties.
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction therefor shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $250, and a separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day on which the violation occurs or continues. All fines and penalties shall be recovered on complaint by the Town before a court of competent jurisdiction to the use of the municipality.
15-6 Dog license required.
All dogs residing in the Town of Camden are required to be licensed through the Camden Town Office by Dec. 31 of each year. Included with the dog license will be a copy of this article and a Town map depicting dog-friendly areas of Camden, with locations of the waste-bag dispensers for public use.
15-7 Dogs on Town-owned beaches.
Notwithstanding any other provision herein, dogs shall be allowed at all times on Town-owned beaches; except that, for the annual period commencing May 1 and running through Sept. 30, dogs may only be allowed on Town-owned beaches during the hours from 6 p.m. through 8 a.m., and therefore shall be prohibited during the hours from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. [Approved by voter referendum 6-13-2007]